Files: exercises-smokeping.txt

APRICOT 2010
Network Management and Monitoring Workshop

Smokeping Exercises
-------------------

1. Install Smokeping
--------------------

   # apt-get install smokeping

2. Initial Configuration
------------------------

   # cd /etc/smokeping

   - No changes are necessary in this page. You can update the Smokeping
     look and feel by editing /etc/smokeping/basepage.html

   # cd /etc/smokeping/config.d
   # ls -l

   -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  578 2010-02-26 01:55 Alerts
   -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  237 2010-02-26 01:55 Database
   -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  413 2010-02-26 05:40 General
   -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  271 2010-02-26 01:55 pathnames
   -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  859 2010-02-26 01:55 Presentation
   -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  116 2010-02-26 01:55 Probes
   -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root  155 2010-02-26 01:55 Slaves
   -rwxr-xr-x 1 root root 8990 2010-02-26 06:30 Targets
 
   - The files you need to touch (at a minimum) are:

   * Alerts
   * General
   * Probes 
   * Targets

   - Edit Alerts

   # vi Alerts

   - Update the top of the file where it says:

*** Alerts ***
to = alertee@address.somewhere
from = smokealert@company.xy

     to include a proper "to" and "from" field for your server.
     Something like:

*** Alerts ***
to = root@localhost
from = smokeping@pcX.mgmt.conference.apricot.net

    - If you were going to create tickets from Smokeping alerts
      the "to" address would be an alias for the ticketing system.

    - Now save the file and exit, then edit the file General:

    # vi General

      Change the following lines:

    owner
    contact
    cgiurl
    mailhost

      Something like this should work:

owner    = Admin
contact  = root@pcX.mgmt.conference.apricot.net
cgiurl   = http://noc/cgi-bin/smokeping.cgi
mailhost = localhost

     - Now save the file and exit, then edit the file Probes:

     # vi Probes

       The current entry in Probes is fine, but if you wish to
       use addtional Smokeping checks you can add them in here
       and you can specify their default behavior. You can do
       this, as well, in the Targets file if you wish.

     - Here is an example of a Probes file that would specify
       what to use to check for HTTP and DNS latency as well as
       the FPing probe that is used for ping latency:

*** Probes ***

+ FPing

binary = /usr/bin/fping

+ EchoPingHttp

+ DNS
binary = /usr/bin/dig
pings = 5
step = 180

      - Go ahead and update your Probes file with this information.
        Then save the file and exit. And, now let's restart the
        Smokeping service to verify that no mistakes have been made
        before going any further:

      # /etc/init.d/smokeping stop
      # /etc/init.d/smokeping start

        You could, also do:

      # /etc/init.d/restart

        or

      # /etc/init.d/reload

        to reload configuration changes. This should work in most
        cases.

3. Configure monitoring of devices
----------------------------------

      - The majority of your time and work configuring Smokeping
        will be done in the file /etc/smokeping/config.d/Targets.
        
      - For this class please do the following:

      * Use the FPing probe to check:
        - pc1-pc15
        - noc
        - Switches: bb-sw, pc1-5-sw, pc6-10-sw, pc11-15-sw
        - Routers: bb-gw, pc1-5-gw, pc6-10-gw, pc11-15-gw

      * Create some hierarchy to the Smokeping menu for your
        checks. Such as:

        PCs
        Routers
        Switches

      * Add a check for HTTP latency for all the classroom PCs. 
        This will mean adding another category, such as:

        PCs HTTP

      * If you have time consider checking some machines that are
        external to our classroom and the conference. 

      * Look at additional Smokeping probes and consider implementing
        some of them:

        http://oss.oetiker.ch/smokeping/probe/index.en.html

      - As trying to explain all syntactical details of how the file
        /etc/smokeping/config.d/Targets is used would require several
       pages we will go through some examples in class, and you can
       refer to the Smokeping configuration files that are in use on 
       the classroom NOC box by going to:

       http://noc/config/etc/smokeping
       http://noc/config/etc/smokeping/config.d